SOCIALIST LABOUR PARTY President: Frank Cave Vice-President: Linda Muir General Secretary: Arthur Scargill 9 Victoria Road, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 2BB Answerphone/Fax: 01226-770957 www.socialist-labour-party.org.uk e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Press Release A CRISIS THAT WILL CONTINUE The current fuel crisis will not vanish with the lifting of blockades. This crisis, particularly in respect of oil and petroleum was predicted by Socialists like myself years ago. It is an inevitable consequence of the free market and capitalist system. The long-term, and only, solution is public ownership and control and the introduction of an integrated energy policy which should be implemented immediately, involving the following: all North Sea oil and gas operations to be taken into public ownership; all oil refineries and gas distributors to be taken into public ownership; all road transport - passengers and freight - including lorries, buses, trains and waterway transport to be taken into public ownership; all the revenues generated from creating integrated energy and transport systems must be utilised for the benefit of the British people: restoring the income 'link' for pensioners; an immediate investment of �13 billion into the NHS, at the same time abolishing private health care; an immediate investment of �5 billion to be made annually in education; a housing programme which would build or refurbish one million homes per year over the next five years. These are policies which should have emerged as a call from the TUC at its Congress this week, with the General Council and trade unions recognising that the actions of the oil producers, refineries and hauliers have been and are directed towards maintaining or increasing the profits of producers, refineries and distributors - not protecting the wages, conditions and jobs of energy and transport workers, or of consumers. Arthur Scargill General Secretary, Socialist Labour Party Thursday, 14 September, 2000
